


Some of You May Not Survive

by BiSisters



Category: Among Us (Video Game)
Genre: Angst, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Angst with a Happy Ending, Black is highkey paranoid, Blue is way too into plants, Brown is highkey a little shit, Character Death, Cuddling, Cultural Differences, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, Multi, Murder, Murder Mystery, No Sex Scenes, Red is lowkey a little shit, Sorry horny people, Starbucks exists but it's owned by MIRA, The Skeld (Among Us), black was just trying to vibe, death scenes may be on page, everyone's just a little too sus for black's liking, nonbinary characters - Freeform, white reminds everyone they're a medic practically every chapter
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-16
Updated: 2021-01-29
Packaged: 2021-03-14 14:15:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 4
Words: 7,682
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28796736
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BiSisters/pseuds/BiSisters
Summary: Black was just trying to blend in. She didn't expect a lot of things, but she definitely didn't expect Blue to be so cute...Alternative title: Imposter learns what love is, clueless crewmate can't figure out which of their weird friends is killing all the others.
Relationships: Black/Blue (Among Us)
Comments: 1
Kudos: 18





	1. A Brief Introduction

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Skeld's crew meets up in the cafeteria of MIRA HQ.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just some notes before this fic begins:  
> \- This is set in a different universe than fics I've previously written, so it's got different culture/mechanics than previous ones  
> \- Imposters can be both human and alien  
> \- Starbucks exists, but it's owned by MIRA  
> \- The sleeping quarters in the first scene are very much based on Japanese capsule hotels, I thought they were a cool concept and the structured, organized aesthetic is very on-brand for MIRA.
> 
> Hope you enjoy the chapter!

“I can’t believe we’re about to go into space for the third time,” Red breathed almost literally down Blue’s neck. The two were squished into the capsule-bed Blue had occupied the previous night, a tiny space that definitely wasn’t built to hold two grown adults. 

“Same… It feels like we just got back from our first mission yesterday,” Blue agreed, turning off their MIRA-assigned tablet. They started rolling up their sleeping bag as Red scooted backwards and out of the small space. 

“I can’t wait to not sleep in this human laundromat of a bunkroom,” Red said, throwing up her hands as Blue climbed out of the capsule. It did indeed look like a bunch of washing machines, with the rows of glass domes poking out of the walls where sleeping nooks were. 

“I don’t mind it, ‘specially since we’ve only slept here one night,” Blue admitted. They actually found the capsule beds cute even though they were tiny. As they bent down to clip the bedroll to their suitcase, someone bumped into them, nearly knocking them off their feet. 

“Eep!” Blue whirled around only to see someone in a suit already rushing away. It looked to be a light suit, though not white, maybe lavender or mint. The room was too shadowy to see the true color. 

“Rude!” Red called after them, but the person gave no indication they’d heard. They were walking quickly, dragging a sleek black suitcase behind them. 

“Stupid administrators. Thinking their time’s more important than anyone else’s,” Red complained as she and Blue started walking to the door. “I hope they’re not on our crew.” Blue had to agree with that. 

The hall light was much brighter than the dimmed bunkroom lighting, and Blue squinted for a moment as their eyes adjusted. The familiar white walls of MIRA headquarters lined the hall, and chatter bounced off them from the colorfully suited crewmates walking down the corridor. 

“I wonder if any of them are on our ship,” Blue wondered aloud as they started their trek to the cafeteria. Their suitcase rolled behind them steadily, smooth over the shiny tiles. _I wonder how they keep them so clean._

__“That’d be neat,” Red remarked as they turned the corner to take a shortcut to the cafeteria. However, caution tape blocked the hall they’d planned to take, and a worker in a white suit was redirecting people around it._ _

__“Construction!” They announced, waving at the approaching crewmates to turn back. “This hallway is off-limits.” Though they seemed to just be a regular maintenance worker, Blue couldn’t help but think their tone held a tinge of tension._ _

__“Weird. That wasn’t there yesterday.” Red gestured to the tape barring entry to the hall._ _

__“Maybe it’s some emergency?” Blue suggested as they headed in the opposite direction. Red just shrugged, then glanced at one of the directory signs._ _

__“Oh! We’ll go by the Starbucks now!” She started walking faster, and Blue nearly tripped over their suitcase trying to keep up with her._ _

__Red paused as soon as the store was in sight. “You want anything?”_ _

__Blue shook their head. “They always spell my name wrong. Seriously, how do you put a D in Latifah?”_ _

__“You ask politely,” Red replied, then immediately dissolved into laughter at her own joke as Blue whacked her with their helmet._ _

“Shut _up!_ ” 

__“I mean, it’s not untrue,” Red managed through her donkey-like chortling. “How do you even manage to hook up with so many people?”_ _

__“It was only three!” Blue was almost certain people were staring at them. They definitely didn’t need all the details of Blue’s ship flings, but it seemed like everyone who worked for MIRA was obsessed with gossip. Whatever it was, people seemed to get nosier as soon as they stepped onto the polished tile floor of MIRA headquarters. “You’ve hooked up with plenty of people during Academy,” they continued, though their banter was drowned out by Red’s laughter._ _

__Finally, Red stopped laughing like a horse trying to cough a rat out of its throat and got her sugar-loaded coffee. Blue leaned on the wall nearby, trying to balance their helmet on their bedroll._ _

_Why these things don’t come with some kind of strap so you can attach them to bags, I don’t know…_ For an item everyone seemed to need to have, there never seemed to be a good way to carry the helmets. 

“Back!” Red announced, and Blue looked up to see she was carrying a cup of something that looked like it could be half whipped cream. Upon noticing Blue trying to strap their helmet to their suitcase, Red tilted her head to the side. “Why not just _wear_ it? Like everyone else?” 

____“It’s harder to smell the plants that way.” Blue straightened and tucked their helmet under their arm, giving up on trying to secure it to their luggage. The two continued along the walkway._ _ _ _

____Thankfully, the cafeteria wasn’t too far of a walk even when they went the long way. The room was more open than the hallways, and Blue and Red made their way to the back of the room where the reserved tables sat._ _ _ _

____Blue removed their tablet from their suit’s main pocket and turned it on, opening their messaging app. The automated message informing them of their mission instructions was near the top of their list, and they scanned through it as Red peeped over their shoulder._ _ _ _

____“Ah, there, Table 5.” Blue looked at the number cards on the occupied tables._ _ _ _

____As Blue and Red approached, Blue glanced around at their crewmates. Most of them seemed to already be present, and Blue took a seat with Red near the end of the table. At the head of the table, a violet-suited crewmate and an orange one were talking with their helmets off, seemingly counting the crew. Someone in lavender hurried up and whispered something in the Purple’s ear, resulting in the Purple’s brow furrowing._ _ _ _

____Red nudged Blue. “Shit, it’s the bunkroom jerk,” she muttered, pointing at the Lavender’s suitcase._ _ _ _

____“Maybe they’re not on our crew?” Blue reasoned, but Red just twitched her nose._ _ _ _

As a black-suited crewmate slid into the seat across from Blue, the Purple at the head of the table clapped her hands. Blue couldn’t help but notice the lavender crewmate had sat down at the other end of the table, and frowned. _They’re on our crew after all…_

____The chatter died down as Purple began to speak. She introduced herself as the captain and Orange as the co-captain, then started going over the mission rules._ _ _ _

____“I’m sure many of you have heard this before, but we do have a few- I mean, a, singular, firsty on this ship,” She said, glancing to a yellow-suited crewmate, who waved shyly._ _ _ _

____“Big crew,” Red murmured besides Blue, and Blue nodded. They silently counted as Purple droned on._ _ _ _

____“...Since we have such a large crew, I get it, fourteen’s a lot, but we’ll have to all put up with-,” Purple paused as Orange elbowed her and muttered something into her ear. “Oops, thirteen, still a lot, and we’ll need to try to get along. I assure you our ship’s big enough for all of us.” She chuckled._ _ _ _

____“I’ve been on bigger crews,” a lime-suited crewmate stated, barely looking up from his tablet. The captain ignored them as she continued with the mission briefing. Blue suppressed a yawn as Purple re-stated most of the things they’d already read in the mission briefing. Instead, they let their eyes wander around the room, taking in the potted plants set around the cafeteria._ _ _ _

____“Now, since Lavender’s just informed me of a little delay, why not do some team building games?” Purple glanced around the table as they clasped their fingers together._ _ _ _

____“Ew,” Red muttered besides Blue, but her annoyance was drowned out by the brown-suited crewmate._ _ _ _

____“As usual, MIRA needs to get their act together.”_ _ _ _

____Orange cut off the complaints that started to echo around the table. “Listen to your captain.”_ _ _ _

____“I’m sure it’ll only be a short delay,” Purple said through her teeth. “Now, why don’t we start with some introductions?”_ _ _ _

____⚝──⭒─⭑─⭒──⚝_ _ _ _

_Introductions?_

Cali, no, _Black,_ glanced around the table, silently willing the captain to forget their existence. Speaking first in a conversation was not her strong suit. 

_Come on, you’ve gotten human introductions down._

____Black fidgeted with her fingers as she listened to the first crewmate speak. A woman in a pink suit, who drummed her fingers on her tablet case as she introduced herself with a smile. Black noted how she only took about a minute to talk before turning to the lime suit next to her._ _ _ _

____Lime, who was still wearing his helmet, spoke for only a few seconds without looking up from his tablet. From what Black understood of human social norms, this was considered to be rude in multiple ways, though Lime didn’t seem to care._ _ _ _

Black would have frowned to herself if she had the privacy of her helmet. Another human impulse, though this one wasn’t as useful as Cali’s- _her_ -knowledge bank. Well, Black was definitely frowning internally. Not only due to the delay, but because they knew exactly why there was one in the first place. 

____⚝──⭒─⭑─⭒──⚝_ _ _ _

____“How long is it gonna be?” Red groaned, slouching on the bench and stretching her arms out on the table. Blue offered their friend a pat on the head._ _ _ _

____“Not too long, hopefully…” They’d already gone through introductions for the whole crew, but Purple, Orange and Lavender were now speaking quietly near the end of the table while the others were mostly absorbed in their tablets._ _ _ _

____Blue met eyes with Black, who sat across from them. “Oop… Sorry about my friend here.” Blue bit their lip as Black’s expression flickered to Red, who held up a lazy peace sign then smacked her head into the table._ _ _ _

“...You good?” Blue couldn’t help but notice the tiniest hint of… _Worry? Annoyance?_ Some negative emotion in Black’s light green eyes, though it was clear she was trying to hide it. 

_She has pretty eyes…_

____Black’s shoulders stiffened. “...Good…” She echoed, avoided Blue’s eyes, pretending to focus on tugging at her gloves._ _ _ _

____“What do you think they’re talking about?” Red butted in, jabbing a thumb towards Purple, Orange and Lavender’s huddle._ _ _ _

____“Admin stuff, probably,” Black replied, the tension seemingly gone from her voice. She pulled out her tablet and started reading something on it, her eyes flitting from side to side. Blue watched her, not even realizing they were getting lost in the soft seafoam tones of Black’s eyes until Red waved a hand in front of their face._ _ _ _

____“Blueee.” Red dragged out the word. “You’re getting spacey again.”_ _ _ _

____“Oh-,” Before Blue could say more, Purple was once again clapping her hands for the crew’s attention._ _ _ _

____“Crewmates! I’m glad to announce that we’re cleared to leave!” Purple’s voice rang through the cafeteria so loudly that Blue was almost surprised other tables weren’t turning to look. The crew quickly put away their tablets, and Cyan clicked their helmet into place as Purple instructed the crew to follow her to one of the launch bays._ _ _ _

____⚝──⭒─⭑─⭒──⚝_ _ _ _

____Not soon after the crew boarded the Skeld, Red insisted they all sit down at one of the cafeteria tables for “additional briefing”. Confusion rippled through the crewmates, though Black’s stomach twisted as they realized what this was about._ _ _ _

_There’s another imposter on board..._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Update 1/21: There was a slight problem with some of the HTML, hope it's fixed now! Character thoughts should now show up in italics. :)


	2. Fortune Knocks

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> First day on the ship for the crew!

“What’s this about?” Blue whispered to Red as they and the other crewmates settled around the main cafeteria table. Red just shrugged as Purple started talking.

“We’ve been told to put in a few… Precautionary measures,” Purple announced. Besides Blue, Black shifted uncomfortably, though her expression was unreadable. 

“We’d like you all to stay in pairs for the duration of the trip, as well as attend meals at set times-,” Purple was cut off by Cyan suddenly speaking up.

“So there’s an imposter?” Cyan’s eyes were wide, and they grasped their helmet as if they wanted to put it on.

“They’re just precautionary measures,” Purple insisted. The doubtful looks being sent around the table told Blue otherwise. 

_We’ve never had “precautionary measures” before, why’s this ship different?_

Blue looked between Purple and Orange, but neither of them seemed particularly inclined to further explain. Instead, Purple tapped at their tablet, sending a buzz reverberating around the table. Blue opened their tablet as Purple spoke again.

“I’ve just sent you your pair assignments. Be sure to not separate from your partner for more than fifteen minutes at a time. That’s all.” 

Blue scanned the list until they found their name.

**Brown & White**  
**Red & Pink**  
 **Blue & Black**  
 **Yellow & Lime**  
 **Cyan & Grey**

_Black._

As the people around them stood to join up with their partners, Blue turned to Black. Their assigned partner looked at them, and Blue was again met with those soft seafoam eyes, paired with a distracted smile as Black tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.

“So, uh… partners?” Blue held out their hand, then winced internally, wondering if it was the right move. 

Black took their hand and shook it. “Sounds about right.” Blue couldn’t stop a small grin from spreading across their face. 

“Hey! Do y’all want to explore the ship together?” Red was behind them, Pink next to her. Blue nodded as they and Black stood up.

The ship wasn’t too large, and the group managed to walk around it in less than half an hour, peeking into all the rooms and occasionally running into other groups. 

“I wonder why they didn’t just pair us up by job,” Red wondered aloud as the group poked around in Medbay. 

“Maybe they want us to meet new people?” Pink was twirling around in one of the desk chairs, though she stopped to speak. 

Blue shrugged. “There are plenty of people with similar jobs that don’t know one another, though…” They turned to Black, who had an uneasy look on her face. “Oh, s-sorry, not that I dislike you-,” 

“It’s fine,” Black responded, though her words were clipped. Blue bit their lip. 

Thankfully, Pink and Red joined them by the door, suggesting they all head to the cafeteria to grab a snack. 

⚝──⭒─⭑─⭒──⚝

_Any of them could be the imposter._

The thought was front and center in Black’s mind as she wandered into the cafeteria with Blue, Red and Pink. She studied them, but there was no hint of malice in their words, not even a suggestion that any of them suspected a crewmate to be secretly plotting their demise. 

Red seemed normal enough. As soon as they got to the cafeteria, though, she immediately ran up to her bunk, appearing soon after with an empty mayonnaise jar, which she then filled with vanilla pudding from the fridge. She winked at the others as she sat down with them at one of the cafeteria tables with a spoon. 

_That’s not normal, is it? Is she trying to trick her friends into thinking she’s eating… just mayonnaise?_ Eating mayonnaise wasn’t normal according to Cali’s memory bank, so it had to be some kind of prank.

Pink just laughed at her crewmate’s antics, then struck up a conversation about past co-workers. 

Blue seemed the most suspicious by Black’s standards. No, it _wasn’t_ because Black seemed so drawn to them. They were quiet, though, and seemed to cast Black a lot of sidelong glances when they thought she wasn’t looking.

_They don’t suspect me, do they?_

Black frowned despite herself, prompting Red to pipe up at her through a mouthful of disgusting MIRA-brand pudding.

“Black, you good?” She pointed her pudding spoon at Black. 

“Maybe she’s mad you took all the pudding,” Pink suggested playfully. 

“It is _mayonnaise,_ ” Red hissed, hunching over her jar. Pink raised her eyebrows and looked to Blue, who rolled their own eyes. A half-smile played on Blue’s lips, and Black couldn’t help but note that it really fit Blue’s cute face…

_What am I thinking? They could be planning the downfall of the whole crew…_

⚝──⭒─⭑─⭒──⚝

“Can… Can I sit with you guys?” Cyan asked, lingering by the table Blue and the others sat at. Blue nodded their approval as Red spoke up.

“Sit right down!” Her amusement was audible in her voice as she once again dipped her spoon into the mayo jar and stirred it around. Cyan didn’t seem to notice as they sat, turning to look behind them. Blue followed their gaze to the table where Gray sat alone. 

“...Something wrong, Cyan?” Black asked, eyes narrowed curiously.

“I…” Cyan’s voice trailed off as they stared at the table, cupping their cheeks in their gloves. “I’m not crazy if I think my partner is… an alien or something, am I?”

“Well, I guess it’s not uncommon to have alien crewmates,” Pink said, “Though they do tend to try to... kill people, I guess.” She pulled out her tablet and started typing on it. 

That only made Cyan’s eyes widen. “No…” They clutched at their sleeves nervously. “What if… What if they are?”

“Hey, it’s okay,” Blue reassured them, reaching out to pat their crewmate’s shoulder. 

“What makes you think they’re an… alien?” Black tilted their head to the side, looking past Cyan, likely to Gray. 

Cyan paused. “I-they’re just… So _weird!_ ” They stole another glance over their shoulder, then looked around the table. “I know I sound crazy…” 

“Cyan, have you eaten anything today?” Blue asked, rubbing Cyan’s shoulder. Maybe their crewmate was just paranoid due to lack of food, or sleep, or whatever. 

_Not that I want to treat them like a child, but I’ve met plenty of adults who act like kids… The same techniques for babysitting seem to work on them..._

Cyan shrugged as Pink turned her tablet around and pushed it towards them. 

“Here. Some tips for spotting… aliens,” she told them. A glimpse of the screen showed Blue that Pink’s tablet was open to a page of the handbook all crewmates were assigned. 

Cyan scanned it, mumbling the words aloud to themself. Blue excused themself to go grab Cyan food. They probably needed it.

The meal dispenser hadn’t been stocked yet, seeing as the crew had just arrived on the ship, so Blue opened the kitchenette’s fridge. Thankfully, there were packages of sliced meat and cheese already in the fridge, and Blue found some bread in one of the cabinets for a sandwich. 

They headed back to the table, where Cyan was still fixated on Pink’s tablet. 

“Here.” Blue set the sandwich in front of them. 

“No mayo?” Red’s amusement was back, and Cyan glanced up from the sandwich to Red’s face, then the mayonnaise jar, then back to Red’s face. Concern swept over their features and Blue couldn’t help but laugh. They’d seen the same reaction time and time again when Red pulled pranks on previous crews.

“...No thanks,” Cyan muttered, digging into the sandwich, though they cast one more look behind them as they did. Blue looked at Gray as well, trying to figure out what Cyan saw as suspicious in the colorless crewmate. Gray had his helmet off, and was just staring down at his tablet.

“So, was there anything really suspicious about them?” Black once again asked once Cyan was done with their sandwich. 

“I… Maybe I’m just being paranoid,” Cyan replied. “...I think they just… acted kinda like… someone I met on another ship.” Everyone waited for them to elaborate, but Cyan just pushed Pink’s tablet back across the table to her without saying anything else.

Just then, Yellow joined them, popping open a bag of chips as he sat down. 

“What’re you guys up to?” he asked, then caught sight of Red and the mayo jar and visibly cringed. “...on second thought maybe I’ll just stay with Lime…” 

“No, we’re not all weird like that!” Blue assured him while Red snorted with laughter.

“Yeah, come chill with us, firsty,” Pink welcomed, turning off her tablet and tucking it back into her suit’s main pocket. “Did you see Purple or Orange coming this way?” 

Yellow shook his head. “Why?”

“Just wondered when we’re going to do fortunes.”

“Huh?” Yellow’s brows knit together. 

“Doing fortunes,” Pink repeated casually. Yellow still looked confused.

“At the start of each mission, the whole crew cracks open fortune cookies, and they’re supposed to tell you how the mission will go,” Blue elaborated. “It’s like a tradition.”

“Ohh…” Yellow trailed off as the sound of a yell echoed through the cafeteria.

“What do you _mean,_ you never learned about 2020 in history class?” Brown was exclaiming to a weary-looking White. 

“I’m a medic, not a historian,” White retorted as the two headed for the table Blue and the others occupied. “Tell them about it.” 

“What’s up?” Red asked as the two sat down. 

“This weirdo has been making weird historical references for the past half hour,” White immediately complained, rubbing their temples. 

“Not my fault if you don’t get my memes,” Brown sniffed. 

⚝──⭒─⭑─⭒──⚝

Black was trying very hard to determine who the imposter was. 

_Maybe there isn’t one at all,_ she thought hopefully. _Maybe whoever killed Green wasn’t targeting this crew, maybe it was just some kind of personal spat._

But paranoia still nibbled at her stomach, even as the crewmates around her bonded and exchanged banter. 

_If one of them really is an imposter, what am I supposed to do? I can’t just ask them to stop killing people…_

Black twisted a lock of hair around her finger as she thought, though she eventually came to the conclusion that it’d be best to keep playing the ‘innocuous crewmate’ role for now. If the imposter was an alien, she’d find them out eventually.

She was dragged out of her thoughts by Red’s sudden squeal of “Oo, fortunes!” 

Black looked up to see Purple dumping a handful of fortune cookies on the table. Everyone grabbed for one, and Black cracked open hers. She munched at the styrofoam-tasting cookie as she read the little slip of paper that had been inside.

_You’ll find luck in your romantic endeavors._

 _What?_ Black glanced around the table to see if anyone else had received such a weird message.

“I got _You will find new friends_ ,” Red announced, waving her slip of paper in the air. 

“Flowers await you…” Blue looked up from their slip to Black. “How about you, Black?” 

“Um… Mine’s kinda weird,” Black replied, her cheeks warming for some reason she couldn’t quite identify. 

“That’s okay, sometimes they’re kinda cryptic,” Blue said. “Let me see.” They leaned closer to Black. Black quickly folded up her slip of paper. 

“It’s okay, I’ll… I’ll figure it out,” Black stuttered, tucking the slip in one of their suit’s pockets. 

“Sounds like you just got a shitty fortune,” Brown said obnoxiously. “Red, are you dipping your cookie in _mayo?_ ”

Red nodded. “It’s good. Try it!” She held out the mayo jar as she took a large bite of the pudding covered fortune cookie. Brown cringed away, wrinkling his nose.

“I’d like to try…” Yellow held out his cookie tentatively, dipping a corner into Red’s mayo jar. The rest of the table watched him intently as he put the cookie into his mouth.

Yellow blinked. “Wait, that’s not mayo! That’s pudding-,”

Red burst into laughter, and Blue and Pink snickered along with her. 

“Okay, that’s enough messing around,” Purple announced. She’d returned to the table holding a small stack of papers. “We’ve got tasks to do.”


	3. Midnight Meeting

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Black is kept awake by her own worries. She meets Blue in the cafeteria.

The posters on Black’s wall stared down at her, their leering seeming to pervade her mind even as she closed her eyes. The eyes of the people on her walls faded into one set, and suddenly Black was in the vent again, looking through the slits at a dead body in a green suit, lying in a pool of his own blood…

Black sat up. Her blankets rustled in the otherwise silent room as she stumbled out of bed. 

_I can’t sleep right now._

Somehow, her room felt oppressive, which was understandable given it was basically a glorified closet. There was enough space for a small dresser, a cot, and a random folding chair that had been there when she arrived on the ship, but that was all. She’d hung the posters in an effort to decorate, like many of the humans did, but the room still had the eerie corporate vibe that invaded seemingly every MIRA-owned space. 

With one last glance towards the posters, Black headed for the door. 

The second floor of the ship seemed empty, with only the dim glow of the emergency lights illuminating the hallway. The ship was in its night cycle, so the main lights had been turned off leaving only the necessary ones on. Black didn’t mind the dark, but a shudder ran through her as she imagined just how limited the visibility might be for a regular human. The shadows might veil anything, as far as a human was concerned.

Black’s steps were the only sound in the deserted corridor, the quiet padding of slippers on tile seeming to announce her position to the world. She crept down to the cafeteria.

She hadn’t expected anyone else to be there, but to her surprise, someone was. 

_Blue?_

They were munching on a sandwich of some kind, cheek in hand as they stared down at their tablet. Black didn’t realise she’d spoken their name aloud until Blue jerked their head up suddenly, squinting at Black.

“Black, is that you?”

Black nodded. “Yeah… What’re you doing down here… in the dark?” She added the last part as she remembered how humans had weaker vision. 

“I… Couldn’t sleep.” 

“Me neither.” Black slid onto the bench next to them. 

“Anything keeping you up?” Blue kept their head in their palm, but shifted ever so slightly to glance up at Black. 

“...I have nightmares sometimes,” Black replied. She didn’t need to tell Blue what the dreams were about. 

“Want to talk about it?” The crewmate’s voice was gentle. Black shook her head. “That’s okay.”

The two sat in silence for a bit. Then, Blue sat up a bit and turned off their tablet. 

“Sorry if that’s distracting,” they apologized, drumming their fingers on the table. Black immediately took notice of an uneven patch of skin on Blue’s hand. It seemed lighter, more wrinkled than the rest of Blue’s even brown skin.

“It’s alright,” Black assured them. She paused, wanting to ask about Blue’s hand. 

_That’s not normal, right? Most humans don’t have that, according to Cali’s-my- memory bank…_

“What’s… up with your hand?” Black immediately cringed as she spoke. 

_Shit, I made it weird…_

Thankfully, Blue let out a laugh, light and genuine. “Just… Something that happened when I was a kid. My brother knocked a pot off the stove, and I tried to catch it and shove him away…”

“Must’ve been painful.”

“It was, I guess, but better than letting my brother get hurt.” Blue smiled their sweet little half-smile. They stood up, grabbing their plate and heading for the sink. Black watched them. Somehow, Blue seemed almost ethereal in the low light. They rinsed their plate, surely a familiar motion, yet their grace as they performed it wasn’t something Black had expected. 

_What’s wrong with me… Why am I fixating on this… human?_

“You good?”

Suddenly Blue was next to her again, sitting back down at the dingy cafeteria table. Black realized she was rubbing her temples and she brought her arm down, clasping her hands one over the other on the table’s surface.

“Just… thinking.” 

“Want to chill in my room?” 

The invitation was surprising, but Black felt a bubble of affection for Blue as they asked. 

“That… sounds nice.” A smile crept onto Black’s face. 

⚝──⭒─⭑─⭒──⚝

“Your room is so… Nice,” Black remarked. She was sitting on Blue’s bed while Blue had a mini crisis in the corner. They hadn’t expected Black to actually come. 

_What do I do now?_

“Thanks!” Blue managed, turning around to see Black gazing at the dangly lights strung over the footboard of their cot. The green and blue succulent-shaped lights had been a present from Red when the two graduated Academy. 

“These are pretty.” Black brushed a hand against the lights.

“Red got them for me,” Blue responded. “I kinda suck at decorating my own stuff…” 

“No, I can totally see your whole… plant vibe.” Black gestured around her. Blue barely suppressed a giggle. It _was_ true. Blue’s sleeping bag was dotted with little cacti, their lamp’s base was made to look like a pot, even their pillowcase was pastel green to match the sleeping bag. 

“I do like plants…” Okay, maybe that was an understatement. Past crewmates had called Blue _obsessed_ with plants. It was practically a part of their personality by now. “It’s why I became a botanist.” 

“Any particular reason you decided the best place for that was space?” A rare hint of amusement blossomed in Black’s tone as she spoke. Her eyes were ever so slightly crinkled in a way Blue couldn’t describe other than _cute._

“I- uh, guess it’s just nice to get away from family sometimes,” Blue replied. It wasn’t untrue. Whenever they were near, Blue’s parents asked for endless favors, and spending time with them often became a game of dodging requests to do their menial chores. Blue pushed the memories away. “What about your family? Is it hard being away from them?”

Something flashed in Black’s eyes that Blue couldn’t quite read. She paused for a minute, crossing her legs and putting her chin in her palm. “Well… I’m not the closest with them.”

“Oh-I’m sorry,” Blue stammered. 

“It’s okay,” Black assured them, blinking sincerely. “Why don’t you tell me about your family a bit more? Or anything, really… It’s nice listening to people talk sometimes.” 

⚝──⭒─⭑─⭒──⚝

Black scooted closer to Blue. The crewmate had plopped down on the bed with their tablet, and they were now swiping through their gallery, explaining each photo in turn. Pictures of friends, pictures of plants, pictures of random things Blue described as being cool.

_Is this some kind of human bonding ritual?_

Black’s memory bank didn’t have any information on this, so she assumed it was just another odd thing humans did with friends. There seemed to be plenty of odd cultural things humans enjoyed, like coloring their nails with a temporary 'polish', or playing games consisting of moving miniature pawns around on boards. 

A sudden lurch of Blue’s shoulder snapped Black into the present, and she glanced to Blue’s face. Blue was quietly snickering into their hand. 

_What?_

The only thing on the screen was a weird image- _Oh. A meme._ Images humans passed around to incite joy in each other.

“Sorry,” Blue managed, “...I have a lot of memes here. For… moral support, y’know.” 

Black nodded. _Shoot- say something normal…_

“Emotional support memes,” she finally replied, trying to sound casual. This only made Blue burst into another fit of giggles. Black found herself smiling as well, and she rested her head on Blue’s shoulder once again as the crewmate returned to scrolling through their gallery.

⚝──⭒─⭑─⭒──⚝

“Oop, there’s a picture from when my family visited me in Academy,” Blue explained as they swiped to the next picture. Nostalgia stirred in their heart as they recalled their MIRA Academy days. Though their family had only visited once, they video called their siblings weekly, and thinking of them made Blue smile. 

Black murmured something, and Blue glanced at her. 

_Is she asleep?_

Black’s head was nestled into the crook of Blue’s arm, her soft brown hair spilling into their lap. Blue could practically feel their heart beating faster as they realized Black had fallen asleep on _them._ Immediately their brain jumped to a scene in a romance novel they’d read where _this exact thing_ had happened. 

_I will smack myself. This is_ not _a romance novel!_

Of course, Blue didn’t smack themself, since that would disturb Black. Instead, they shut off their tablet and tucked it between their mattress and bedframe, wincing when Black started to slip off their arm. 

“Black? You… sleeping here tonight?” Blue shook her lightly as they spoke. 

Black’s eyelashes fluttered. “Huh…” She sat up, running a hand through her hair. “Oop… I must have fallen asleep, sorry…”

“No, it’s okay!” Blue assured her. “I guess i did talk a lot…” They bit their lip.

A chuckle rumbled in Black’s throat. “Well… I guess I should go sleep in my own bed.” She stood up and started for the door.

Some part of Blue begged them to reach for Black’s hand, to ask her to stay, and this time Blue actually did smack themself. 

“Uh… You good?” 

Blue removed their palm from their face, catching Black’s eye. 

“Yeah- just, uh, almost fell asleep there,” Blue replied quickly. They could _feel_ their cheeks heating up.

“Well, have a good night then.” Black lingered at the doorway for a second, then she was gone, the door sliding shut behind her. Blue stared at the door, not realizing they were leaning forward until they almost fell off the bed. 

“Eep!” They barely caught themself, then sighed and climbed into their sleeping bag. Yet as sleep stole their consciousness away, a tiny wish pricked at their mind.

_Maybe she’ll stay next time…_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And they were crewmates...


	4. Gray Morality?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Haha title pun. Anyways, Black stalks Gray for an entire chapter because the paranoia is real, kids.

“Seriously, Tee? Already hooking up with someone?” Red teased, using her nickname for Blue. Around them, the cafeteria chatter seemed to dull, and Blue felt like wilting under the heat of the eyes of the others at their table. 

“Wha- _no?_ ” Blue nearly winced at the way their voice squeaked. “Why’d you think that?” 

“I told her,” Brown piped up. It took everything Blue had not to glare at him as he continued, “C’mon, I saw Black leaving your room late last night.” He had his helmet off, so Blue could see the amused glint in his eye. 

Blue sighed and stabbed a fork into their bacon a bit more forcefully than usual. “It’s _not_ a hookup.” Their denial was met with eyebrow raises and looks from around the table. Red, Brown, Pink and Cyan were seated at the table, though all except the latter seemed to be intent on using their pre-task time to tease Blue.

“What were you doing then?” Red dipped a spoon into the mayonnaise jar she was still eating pudding out of. 

“Just… talking.” 

“Without me? I thought we were besties,” Red gasped, blinking quickly and holding a hand over her heart in a display of mock offense. Her pine-green eyes crinkled at the corners. It would have been believable had it not been so exaggerated. 

“It was a one on one conversation,” Blue replied, tapping the air with their fork on each syllable. They tried not to think about how Black had fallen asleep on them, and how _close_ Black had been to them, and how _soft_ Black’s hair had been…

“Welp. They’re getting dreamy. Let’s change the subject before they decide to start telling us all about Black.” Pink smirked as she spoke, and Blue gritted their teeth. Thankfully, the others murmured their amused agreement. 

“Have you guys heard that they’re setting up another colony?” Cyan asked nobody in particular. Their helmet sat on their lap as usual, and they set a hand on it as the table’s attention shifted to them. 

“Another? What’s that, their third?” Red tilted her head to the side. 

Blue shrugged. They personally didn’t really keep up on MIRA’s accumulation of space structures. There were already countless research bases and ships; another permanent settlement wasn’t exactly big news.

“That’s an achievement,” Brown noted, sounding studious for once. “The first colony was just a few decades ago, wasn’t it?” 

“Honestly, no clue, I’m just scrolling through the MIRA newsfeed.” A smile seemed to tease at Cyan’s thin lips as they turned around the tablet they’d been tapping at to reveal the MIRA news app’s homepage. The news app was practically the only interesting thing to read unless a crewmate brought their own books. 

_How I wish there was internet in space…_

Movement on the stairs leading to the bunkrooms caught Blue’s attention. They immediately felt an urge to bury their face in their suit’s sleeves when they recognized the color. 

_Black…_

⚝──⭒─⭑─⭒──⚝

Black glanced around the cafeteria as she headed for the food dispenser. It had been stocked and was now ready to dispense mediocre MIRA rations, but odd-tasting MIRA food was evidently better than nothing. 

Crewmates were scattered around the cafeteria- Orange sat at one table, making conversation with a seemingly uninterested Lime. Gray sat at another, absorbed in his tablet, across from White. Black felt a flash of warmth as she caught sight of Blue, sitting with Red, Brown, Pink and Cyan. 

She headed for the kitchenette, finding a bowl in one of the cabinets. Lavender stood by the coffeemaker, tapping his wristwatch impatiently while the machine boiled. Black wrinkled her nose at the smell. She’d never quite understood humans’ inclination to coffee- it was a bitter drink, and even heaps of cream and sugar didn’t fully dilute the distinctive taste. 

She stepped around Lavender, who wrinkled his nose at her as if _she_ were the one whose bitter bean water was stinking up the whole kitchenette area, and tapped the food dispenser’s screen. Black chose oatmeal as her breakfast, and the machine dutifully dispensed a glob of oaty mush into her bowl. 

Black then made her way to the table occupied by Blue and their friends. Almost immediately after she sat down and removed her helmet, Brown spoke up. 

“So, I heard you and Blue spent the night togeth-Eep!” He was cut off by Red flicking a spoonful of pudding at him. He ducked, smacking his head into Cyan’s shoulder, and the vanilla-flavored blob sailed onto the floor. “Hey!” Brown immediately chucked a crust of toast at Red, who laughed and easily avoided the crumby projectile. Blue scooted closer to Black as Pink joined in the fray, laughing and flinging fruit slices at the others. Though they’d seemed hesitant at first, Cyan flicked a tiny piece of cereal across the table just as Orange’s voice rang out across the cafeteria.

“Stop!”

Cyan immediately went rigid and stared up at Orange, along with Blue. Pink boredly glanced to the co-captain, an amused smile on her face, and Brown did the same. Red bit her lip as she met Orange’s eyes. Black would have done the same had Orange’s glare been directed at her. Orange looked _furious._ Her hands were planted on her hips and her lip was curled into a scowl as she glowered at the offending crewmates. 

“It is the second day of this mission and already, you’re all acting like _children._ I don’t know how any of you expect to make it in the long run if you jump to this nonsense at any given opportunity…” Black glanced around the room as Orange lectured. Yellow, who looked like they’d just entered the cafeteria, awkwardly stood by the stairs as if he didn’t know what to do. Lavender rolled his eyes, flicking his helmet’s visor down and grabbing his coffee before leaving the room. Lime was ignoring the whole thing in favor of his table, while White had wandered over near Orange and was glaring at Brown. 

Black’s eyes drifted to Gray, the last crewmate in the room. He’d finished his food and was wandering over to the sink, acting as if Orange wasn’t going off on a tirade mere feet away. Black narrowed her eyes. Something was _off_ about Gray. He seemed to blend into the group seamlessly, as if he was meant to be unremarkable, though he didn’t seem normal compared to the other humans. 

White suddenly spoke up. “Does this mean I have to join them in cleaning _their_ mess? I’m a medic, not a custodian.” They wrinkled their nose at Brown, who rolled his eyes. 

Orange shook her head. “If you and Gray could pair up, that’d be good. It appears we’ll have to switch partners for the day, since _some of you-_ ,” her voice rose, “-can’t seem to act like adults.” 

With that, she stalked away. White headed in Gray’s direction, and an idea slowly formed in Black’s mind. She grabbed Blue’s hand. 

“Hey, let’s get out of here. I’ve got… A lot of tasks today,” Black quickly lied, and Blue nodded, reaching for their helmet. A momentary spark of guilt rose in Black’s chest as she realized how easily she’d just lied to the seemingly sweet crewmate, but she brushed it off as she and Blue hurried to deposit their dishes in the sink. 

Black explained her idea to Blue in the hallway between the cafeteria and Medbay. At first, Blue seemed almost disappointed, though Black assured them it would only be for half the day so she could finish her tasks quicker. 

“...Okay,” Blue agreed, and they continued into Medbay. 

As they entered the room, Black spotted the two crewmates near the back wall. White was studying samples on a machine while Gray idled nearby. 

“Oh, hey,” White greeted as they neared. Blue nodded amicably while Black spoke. 

“Hey, I was wondering if you wanted to switch partners? Since both you and Blue have lab tasks, and Gray and I are General Tech, it’d be more… efficient for us to get our tasks done, y’know?” 

White tilted their head to the side, though their visor clouded their expression. At last, they replied casually, “Yeah, sounds good,” and turned back to their samples. 

After leaving Blue with White, Black and Gray headed out of Medbay. 

“So, what tasks do you have?” Black inquired, pulling her tablet out of her main pocket. Gray did the same, and Black studied his movements, looking for anything unnatural that may indicate his not being fully human. But the crewmate didn’t seem to falter in his movements as he turned on his tablet and scrolled to the task schedule. 

“I’ve got some wiring to check in Security,” Gray responded in his usual monotone. His voice seemed to add to his air of suspicion, as a mimic who hadn’t fully mastered human emotions might overcompensate with indifference. Black followed him down the hall, continually on guard for any other suspicious behaviors. But as she stood watching Gray pry the panel that concealed the wires, questions started to creep into her mind. 

_What if he really is an imposter? If he’s already killed someone, he must be capable of murder… Do I just try to talk him out of killing again?_ Black shuddered as she recalled some of the imposters she’d met at HQ. They were bloodthirsty, sadistic creatures who didn’t show a sign of faltering in their quest to take down the human race. If Gray was like one of them, Black realized she might not be able to even talk to him after she revealed her knowledge of his inhumanity. The veteran imposters killed potential threats on the spot. 

“Have any electrical tape?” Gray suddenly spoke up, cutting off Black’s train of thought. Black shook her head, and Gray stepped away from the wiring panel with a sigh. 

“I’ll go stop in Electrical to get tools, then.” He headed for the door, and Black listened as his footsteps retreated down the hallway’s tile floor. 

_Maybe I’ll just try to approach him normally…_ The memory of her induction into the secret gathering that was the group of alien imposters at HQ drifted to the forefront of her mind. There were code phrases imposters used, phrases that most experienced ones knew. As Gray re-entered the room and settled in front of the wiring panel, Black stepped closer. 

_Now or never._

“Have you ever been to Base 209?” She asked innocently. It was the simplest code phrase, the one she was sure most imposters knew. 

Gray paused in his fiddling with the wires to think. He then answered a simple, “No.” 

Black frowned. She hadn’t expected that. Was Gray pretending not to know the code phrase? Was he unfamiliar with it? 

She studied the crewmate as he continued his wiring. He worked as effectively as anyone experienced should. She couldn’t see his face, as he’d flipped his visor down, but she imagined him wearing a visage of concentration. 

She sighed, resolving to keep observing him for the rest of the day. Or, at least until the two were finished with tasks. 

⚝──⭒─⭑─⭒──⚝

The cafeteria was nearly empty when Black and Gray arrived for lunch. They each got the day’s food-some kind of noodle soup-and settled down at a table. Black turned on her tablet to look over the notes she’d taken on Gray. 

_09:04 - Did wiring normally. Seemed completely occupied by wiring, doesn’t listen to music or anything when doing it._  
_09:42 - Stared at the wall for 5 minutes straight._  
_10:12 - Opened a PDF of a book on his tablet. I managed to look over his shoulder to see what it was. It’s some kind of encyclopedia, i think. Is this normal?_  
_10:20 - Tripped over a floor tile. Landed silently._  
_10:57 - Took a bathroom break in the Medbay bathroom. The bathroom seemed cleaner after he left._  
_11:26 - Met Orange and Purple in the hallway. Started reading his encyclopedia in the middle of our short conversation._  
_11:41 - Stared at the wall while I did wiring. This time I tried to see how long I could get him to stare at the wall, but I think he noticed I wasn’t doing my wiring and started staring at me._

“Hi, Black!”

_Crap, close the tablet…_ Black exited the notes app just as Blue sat down next to her. 

“Hey, Blue,” Black replied, though she was still lost in her own thoughts. 

_What if Gray’s just… not an imposter? I don’t know of any humans who act like that, but maybe he’s just odd…_

“Should we pair up again for the afternoon?” Blue was talking again.

_Well, I guess he hadn’t done anything… too suspicious…_

“Sure,” Black agreed, forcing an amiable smile despite her concerns. Blue clapped their hands and seemed to sit straighter. 

“Great!”

_Gray really isn’t an imposter, is he?_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So yep!! Imposters have code words to recognize each other, or at least, those who are 'in the know'...


End file.
